Ariadne has betrayed her parents, her brother, and her friends, to be with her love Theseus. Aphrodite, her enemy, has tricked Theseus to abandoned her, and is eagerly waiting for Ariadne's death. Yet, Ariadne is determine to survive. Who will win: Aphrodite or Ariadne? This is a story of revenge, betrayal, forgiveness, and above all redemption, renewal and the will to survive.

I stood at the the edge of the beach. My eyes gazing out at the massive brown ship with black sails sailing quickly out of sight on top the sparkingly blue water. Above the ship was a cloudless blue sky and a shining golden sun. The day was lovely, and had it been any other day I, too, would have been taken with awe by today's beauty. Instead, the day was decieving, and in the ship with black sails, contained my love, Theseus, who had just abandoned me on the island of Naxos.

I was stunned and confused. This couldn't be! I was supposed to be on that ship with Theseus, but my eyes told me that I was not. I felt my heart breaking, and I started to cry. Thesues, my hero, my dream, my love had left me. I was alone, and my hero couldn't save me now. I had betrayed my family, helped kill my cursed brother, and helped imprisoned both Daedalus and his son, Icarus, who helped me for . . . this. I had betrayed people close to me only to pay the price of being betrayed in return by Theseus who I had sacrificed everything to be with. I was alone on this island forever. Alone! The reality of me alone horrified me in every way. What should I do? How would I survive? I have lost everything. I have nothing left but to die alone. I tried to think of how could I survive, but I couldn't think. When I left, I had no money, only a few clothes and jewelry for myself, relying on Theseus to pay for everything I need and because I thought that when I had landed for Naxos and thought that I would stay for just a few hours, I got off the ship and left my belongings. Soon, I'll die for I have no other sustenance to keep me alive.

All of a sudden, a laugh, which sounded like the tingling of bells, rang at my ears. At first, it was soft, but then it grew louder. It was a cruel laughter that relished in my suffering, and I knew at once who the owner of the voice was. It was Aphrodite's, the goddess of love and my enemy. All at once, the anger I had aimed at Theseus, vanished. This was all Aphrodite's ploy. Theseus and I had both been decieved by Aphrodite. Theseus must have assumed something bad had happened to me, which was why he had left. He never meant to abandoned me. He meant to bring me to his home in Athens and make me his princess and his future queen. He loved me. He actually loved me!

"You!You did this! This was all of your making!" I yelled at the invisible laughter.

Aphrodite continued laughing, said in a rosy, sweet voice, but underneath that rosy exterior was malice and cruelty. "You should never address a godness as 'You'. I could turn you into sand if I wanted to, but I decide not to and let you die with grief and sadness moaning in the loss of of your abandoned lover!"

Aphrodite contiuned to laugh. I put my over my ears trying hard not to hear, but it was all in vain for it grew louder and louder.

After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped laughing, and Aphrodite spoke again, "I have cursed you Ariadne, as I have cursed your house. Your mother bore your father only two daughters, and when your father's much desired son was born, I turned him into a half-bull, so that he would never love his own son, but would always hate him and despise his hideousness. Now, you, who have betrayed your own family for love, will die here on this island. This is great revenge for a king who bragged that his wife and daughters more beautiful than me!"

Then, Aphrodite appeared before me. I had never seen her before in my life, but when I did I found her to be breathtaking. She had soft white skin, long flowing brown hair, and peircing blue eyes. She wore a purple dress, a cloth for royalty, and on her waist was a golden girldle. She was intimidating, and I hated the fact that she was my enemy who craved my downfall. She smiled at me showing her pearly white teeth, and said, "I have triumphed. Your death will be my victory."

She vanished. She was gone. She was no longer laughing. Yet, I was still haunted by her laughter and her words. I will die soon. This island will be my grave. Aphdorite will win. Soon, I will go to the underworld, the land of the dead ruled by Hades and Persephone. I shivered for I heard it was the most miserable place ever. But right now I wanted to lie down at the beach and watch the roaring waves. I felt calm, clear-headed and peaceful. I loved the ocean, and the feel of it. Every time I needed peace, I would always go to the beach and let the waves wash over me leaving me feel renewed. Now, I yearned for the waves to wash over me, hoping the feeling of grief that Theseus had abandoned by me accident, and the fear of going to the underworld, but above the remourseful feeling of betraying my friends and family just to be with Theseus will vanish. I hoped as that the waves hit me that they will make me feel alive, renewed, and redeemed, and give me hope that Aphrodite will not win, that my sad fate will be reversed and that I too will have a happy ending. Memories of my past of how came to be stranded on this island flooded back to me, but instead of fighting them as I usually do, I let them invade my thoughts, and surrendered to them. Some were happy and some were sad, yet both of them were blissful, and I understood why we had memories. We had memories not only to learn from our mistakes, but to forgive yourself and to be redeemed. I knew that after I had finished remembering my past and my mistakes, then I too will learn to forgive myself. I will be redeemed and renewed, and I will win.

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